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Cathy Freeman

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Cathy Freeman is a trail blazer. A proud Kuku Yalanji woman, Cathy became the first Australian Aboriginal woman to win a gold medal at an international athletics event in 1990 and, two years later, the first Australian Aboriginal to compete at the Olympics. She was also the first person to win both the Young Australian of the Year (1991) and the Australian of the Year (1998).

Cathy’s greatest moment, however, came at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Having become the first competing athlete in history to light the Olympic flame, she claimed an emotional gold in the 400m in front of an exultant home crowd to realise her lifelong dream. In 2011, Cathy was elevated to "Legend" Status in The Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Today, Cathy concentrates on charitable work through the Cathy Freeman Foundation, which focuses on educational programs to help indigenous children fulfill their potential in school and beyond and realise their dreams too.